U.S. patent number 4,431,080 [Application Number 06/276,017] was granted by the patent office on 1984-02-14 for auctioneer's podium assembly.
Invention is credited to James E. Everhart.
United States Patent |
4,431,080 |
Everhart |
February 14, 1984 |
Auctioneer's podium assembly
Abstract
A portable auctioneer's podium assembly movably supported on
casters that may occupy either a first or second position, which
assembly when in the first is defined by a vertically disposable
elongate structure that supports a shelf on which the auctioneer
may rest papers and the like, and an elevated platform rearwardly
of the structure on which the auctioneer may stand to look down on
a crowd to spot bidders. The platform is hingedly connected to the
structure and may be pivoted into the latter when the assembly is
disposed in a second position to occupy less space than in the
first position to facilitate the transportation of the assembly
from one auction site to another. Fastening means are provided to
removably secure the platform in the second position.
Inventors: |
Everhart; James E. (Long Beach,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
23054803 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/276,017 |
Filed: |
June 22, 1981 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
182/15; 182/33.6;
182/35; 312/235.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H
3/28 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04H
3/28 (20060101); E04H 3/10 (20060101); A47B
083/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;182/17,129,33.6,33.5,33,15,35 ;312/258,259,235R,237,257R,257SK
;D6/2,4,155,40 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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249714 |
|
Dec 1962 |
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AU |
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282040 |
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Apr 1952 |
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CH |
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Primary Examiner: Machado; R. P.
Assistant Examiner: Chin-Shue; Alvin C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Babcock; William C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A portable auctioneers podium that includes:
a. an elongate vertically disposed box like assembly that includes
a rigid frame that supports a front panel and a pair of side
panels, said frame at an elevated position thereon supporting a
floor member having a rear edge portion and at a position adjacent
the top of said frame a substantially horizontal desk surface
defining member, and said assembly including a plurality of casters
that movably support said assembly and permit the latter to be
moved from location to location at an auction;
b. a platform of less width than that of the interior of said
frame, said platform including a forward and a rear edge
portion;
c. piano hinge means that pivotally connect said forward edge
portion of said platform to said rear edge portion of said floor
member; and
d. a plurality of legs secured to said platform at said forward and
rear edge portion said legs of such length that when said platform
is pivoted to a first position where it extends rearwardly from
said assembly said legs contact the surface on which said assembly
rests and support said platform at a substantially horizontal
position, upon which an auctioneer can stand, and the weight of the
auctioneer when so standing forcing said legs into frictional
engagement with said supporting surface to the extent said assembly
cannot be inadvertently moved relative thereto, and said platform
capable of being pivoted to a second position where it is disposed
within said assembly and rests on said floor member with said legs
extending upwardly from the latter, and in which said second
position said podium occupies a minimum of space and may be
transported in a vehicle from one auction site to another.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
Auctioneers Podium Assembly
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the auction of heavy objects it is more convenient for the
auctioneer to leave them in place, and the auctioneer move to a
position adjacent thereto. This procedure has the disadvantage that
for the auctioneer to be at an elevated position above the crowd to
see the bidders an improvised elevated support must be provided for
him to stand on. Also, when an auctioneer so moves from place to
place he has no shelf or support to rest papers and other
accessories needed in conducting the auction.
A major object of the present invention is to provide a movable
auctioneer's podium that is capable of occupying either a first or
second position, with the podium when in a first position capable
of being moved from place to place at an auction to provide an
elevated platform on which the auctioneer may stand to look down on
the crowd, as well as providing an elevated shelf on which the
auctioneer may rest papers and the like, and after the auction is
completed, the platform may be pivoted to a position within the
podium structure, with the podium structure then occupying a second
position where it occupies less space than in the first position,
and rendering the podium structure more convenient to transport to
another auction site. The platform when the podium structure is in
the second position is removably locked within the interior
thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A portable multi-position auctioneer's podium assembly which when
in a first position may be moved from place to place when casters
that form a part thereof are resting on a relatively smooth floor
or ground surface. The assembly when in the first position includes
a vertically disposed elongate podium structure that has an
elevated shelf as a part thereof on which the auctioneer may rest
papers and other accessories needed in carrying out an auction.
An elevated horizontal platform is disposed rearwardly of the
podium structure when the latter is in a first position. The
auctioneer when standing on the platform is supported at a
sufficiently high elevation above the crowd that he may look down
thereon and spot bidders as the auction proceeds.
After the auction is completed, the platform that is hingedly
connected to the podium structure is pivoted to the interior of the
latter, and the podium structure then occupying a second position.
The podium assembly when in the second position is more compact
than when in the first position, and accordingly the podium
assembly when in the second position is more convenient to
transport from one auction site to another. The platform when
disposed within the interior of the podium structure is removably
locked therein to prevent it inadvertently pivoting outwardly from
the structure during the time that the assembly is being
transported from one auction site to another. The podium assembly
above described is more convenient for an auctioneer to use, in
that the podium assembly may be moved in a room from place to place
as the auction proceeds, rather than the auctioneer being located
in a fixed position and relatively heavy objects being required to
be transported to him as they come up for auction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the podium assembly in a first
position, with the assembly including an elevated horizontal shelf
on which the auctioneer may rest papers and the like, and also a
rearwardly disposed elevated horizontal platform on which the
auctioneer may stand to be in a position to look down upon the
crowd to spot possible bidders;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the podium assembly in the first
position;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the podium assembly in a second
position;
FIG. 4 is a combined side elevational and vertical longitudinal
cross sectional view of the podium assembly in a first position
taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a transverse cross sectional view of the podium assembly
in a first position and taken on the lines 5--5 of FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is the same view as shown in FIG. 4, but with the platform
being pivoted into the interior of the podium structure to occupy
an inverted position, and the podium structure and platform
cooperating to provide a podium assembly that is compact and may be
easily transported from one auction site to another.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A multi-position movable auctioneer's podium assembly A is shown in
perspective in FIG. 1 in a first position in which it is used for
auctioneering purposes, and in a second position in FIG. 6 in which
the podium assembly is more compact than when in the first
position, and accordingly is easily and conveniently transported
from one auction site to another. The podium assembly A as may be
seen in the drawings includes a vertically positionable elongate
box like structure B that is open at the rear, with the structure B
supporting a horizontal shelf C adjacent the top thereof, which
shelf may be used by an auctioneer (not shown) to rest papers and
other accessories needed by him in carrying out an auction. The
elongate structure B as may be seen in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6 is
supported on casters 10, and as such is movable from place to place
on a substantially level floor or ground surface 11.
In FIGS. 1 and 4 it will be seen that the podium assembly A when in
a first position has a horizontal platform D extending rearwardly
therefrom, which platform is pivotally connected by hinges E to the
structure B. The platform is supported at a substantial elevation
above the floor surface level by legs 12 that extend downwardly
therefrom. The auctioneer (not shown) when standing on the platform
D is at an elevated position relative to the crowd (not shown)
surrounding the podium assembly A, and may accordingly look
downwardly on the crowd to spot bidders as the auction
proceeds.
The vertically positionable elongate structure B as may best be
seen in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 is defined by four rigid uprights 14 that
are disposed in aligned pairs. The uprights 14 are joined by a
laterally spaced upper pair of reinforcing side members 16, a lower
horizontal pair of reinforcing side members 18, and an intermediate
pair of reinforcing side members 20. The reinforcing pairs of side
members 16, 18, and 20 are joined by forwardly disposed upper,
lower and intermediate cross members 22, 24 and 26.
The uprights 14 as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 have a pair of
laterally spaced rectangular side panels 28 secured thereto, have
the forward edges of the side panels being joined by a front panel
30. The pair of side panels 28 and front panel 30 extend upwardly
from the lower pair of reinforcing side members 18 and lower cross
member 24 to a position above the shelf C as shown in FIG. 4, with
the portions of the panels 28 and front panel 30 disposed above the
shelf being identified by the numerals 28' and 30' to provide wall
sections about the shelf C to prevent papers and other auctioneer's
paraphernalia from inadvertantly being displaced from the shelf
during the auction. The intermediate reinforcing members 20 and
front intermediate cross member 26 support a horizontal floor F
that in combination with the shelf C serves to laterally reinforce
the elongate structure B.
A pair of laterally spaced piano type hinges E are provided that
have first hinge portions 32 and second hinge portions 34. The
first hinge portions 32 as may be seen in FIG. 4 are secured by
screws or the like to the rearward portion of the floor F. The
platform D as may be seen in FIG. 4 has the second hinge portions
34 secured to the upper forward portion thereof, with the platform
being secured to a rectangular frame 36 that is defined by a pair
of end pieces 36a and side pieces 36b as shown in FIG. 4. The
platform D and the frame 36 have four legs 12 extending downwardly
therefrom with the height of the legs being such that when the
lower ends are resting on the floor or ground surface 11, the
platform D is supported in a substantially horizontal position. The
lower portion of the legs 12 are reinforced by a second rectangular
frame 38 that has end pieces 38a and side pieces 38b that are
joined to one another and to the legs 12.
In FIG. 5 it will be noted that the floor F has the corners thereof
recessed, and the uprights 14 being disposed in these recesses. The
width of the platform D is such that when an auction is completed,
the platform and the supporting legs 12 may be pivoted
substantially 180.degree. as shown in FIG. 6, for the upper surface
37 of the platform to rest on the floor D and the legs 12 extending
upwardly therefrom. The assembly A is now in a second position as
shown in FIG. 6 that is more compact than in the first position,
and permits the podium assembly A to be more easily transported
from one auction site to another.
Each of the rearwardly disposed legs 12 as may be seen in FIG. 4
supports a forwardly extending eye defining bolt 50, which eye bolt
may be engaged by a swivel supported hook 52 or other fastening
means as shown in FIG. 6 to support the platform removably within
the podium structure A when the podium assembly is in the second
position illustrated in FIG. 6.
The forward panel portion 30' is reinforced with a transverse
member 39 of substantially the same height. The podium structure A
may in the main be fabricated from wood, although other rigid
materials either of a metallic or non-metallic nature may be used
for this purpose if desired.
The use and operation of the invention has been described
previously in detail and need not be repeated.
* * * * *